Axis is central to capital's appeal

An ensemble of landmarks representing the backbone of Beijing was envisioned centuries ago and still plays vital role in modern life, Cheng Yuezhu reports.

Those taking a trip to central Beijing are often recommended to ascend Jingshan Hill and be treated to a rare bird's-eye view of the capital's old city. Its summit offers a panorama of the Forbidden City, with its palaces in vermilion and imperial yellow laid out in all its sublimity.

When turning around and facing north, the equilibrium of symmetry rooted in traditional Chinese aesthetics and beliefs is more readily apparent — the Hall of Imperial Longevity resting downhill, beyond it the Di'anmen Inner and Outer streets splitting the view in half, further extending to the Bell and Drum Towers.

Such structural balance can be found throughout Beijing's old city, from the Yongdingmen Gate in the south, running through the Tian'anmen Square Complex and the Forbidden City, up to the Bell and Drum Towers in the north, stretching a total of 7.8 kilometers.

This is the Beijing Central Axis, celebrated as "the backbone of Beijing".It denotes an ensemble of building complexes and archaeological sites that governs the overall layout of the capital, encompassing imperial palaces and gardens, imperial sacrificial buildings, ancient city management facilities, national ceremonial and public buildings, and central axis roads remains.

Prominent Chinese architect and architectural historian Liang Sicheng (1901-1972) once wrote: "Beijing's unique and magnificent order is created by this Central Axis.... There is no other building complex in the world that has such an imposing layout, or that deals with space on such a scale."

On Saturday, at the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee in New Delhi, India, "Beijing Central Axis: A Building Ensemble Exhibiting the Ideal Order of the Chinese Capital" was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Covering an area of 589 hectares and a buffer zone of 4,542 hectares, the entry, with 15 components, marks China's 59th World Heritage Site and Beijing's eighth.